Since the majority of the earth is covered by water, proper navigation through the water is necessary for safe passage. Waterways are used for commercial transportation as well as recreation. For this reason, most Maritime Nations have adopted a uniform system of buoyage to direct traffic through heavily traveled or problematic waters. One of the most prominent aids to navigation consists of floating buoys, both lighted and unlighted, and daymarks.
The United States follows a lateral system of buoyage. When returning from a seaward location, red buoys are kept on the right (starboard) and green buoys are kept on the left (portside). If a vessel travels the intracoastal waterways along the Atlantic coast, across the Gulf Stream and up the Pacific coast, the vessel is traveling in a clockwise direction and must maintain the red buoys to the starboard side and green buoys to the port side. Coming in from the sea or proceeding up a harbor or river to its source would be considered returning. While traversing the Great Lakes, the direction is considered a westerly direction.
The phrase "red, right, returning" has become a universal reminder to assist mariners that the red buoys would mark the right side of the channel when returning from the sea. For example, a vessel on the Atlantic Ocean entering any inlet on the eastern side of the United States would traverse a buoyage area which marks the proper area of vessel travel. As previously mentioned, such an entrance requires the vessel to maintain the red buoys which would be on the starboard side and green buoys which would be on the port side. Once in the intracoastal should the vessel turn north then the buoys would be switched wherein the red buoys would be on the port side and the green buoys on the starboard side. However, had the operator turned south on the intracoastal way the buoys would have maintained their position as in the inlet with red on the starboard side and green on the port side. Should the operator travel the intracoastal waterway and then turn into any branch, the channel should then have red on the starboard side and green on the port side. Channel junctions may be either a nun or can painted in horizontal red and green band. If the top band is green the preferred channel is to the right and the buoy will be the shape of a can. If the top most band is red the preferred channel is to the left and the buoy will be in the shape of a nun. In England the waterway markings are the opposite of the United States wherein red (black) is on your port side and green is on the starboard side when returning from sea.
Such navigation aids are imperative for the safe operation of a vessel on the waterways but can obviously lead to momentary confusion to the vessel operator. Thus, despite the commonality of the buoyage system, the proper positioning of the buoys depends upon the direction the vessel is traveling. To further complicate these matters, in shallow waters including commercially used waterways and rivers, daymarks may be substituted for the floating buoys. Daymarks are supported on pilings typically positioned about fifteen (15') feet outside the navigable channel. As with the buoys, daymarks would be colored green or red as to indicate the proper position of the vessel in relation to the channel. Both buoys and daymarks have particular shapes to help the vessel operator distinguish the channel position from a distance. For instance, green daymarks are squares while green buoys are shaped as cans. Red daymarks are shaped in the form of a triangle while red buoys (nun's) have a conical shaped top.
The buoyage system can be complicated for even the most experienced mariner, especially since the operator must also tend to other matters such as current, wind, and other vessels to name a few. Since vessels travel both ways on the waterway, the markers will be reversed during a portion of a vessel's travel. At all time the vessel operator must remember which direction the vessel is facing. This becomes especially important if only a single marker exists. For instance, if an operator is heading north on the intracoastal, there are many positions wherein a single buoy or daymark indicates the channel. If the marker is green, the vessel operator must recognize that the mark is to be placed either to its port or starboard side. Should the vessel operator choose the wrong position, the vessel could run aground causing damage to the vessel and occupants. If the vessel operator was traveling in England familiar to the reverse buoyage system, traveling in the U.S. necessitates a change in the through process. As previously mentioned, the addition of current, wind, and other vessels makes even momentary confusion very dangerous.
What is needed is a navigation aid to remind vessel operators where the buoys and daymarks are to positioned upon passage of the vessel. In this manner the navigation aid should be placed upon a vessel preferably at the helm wherein the vessel operator can instantly view the navigation aid to determine the proper positioning of the operators vessel in relation to the navigation aids placed along the waterway.